The Hebrew Scriptures: The Mosaic Law
In the law Jehovah gave to Moses, there were many moral codes. This included codes governing sexual acts like incest, bestiality, rape, pre-marital sex, and homosexuality.
“And you must not lie down with a male the same as you lie down with a woman. It is a detestable thing.” – Leviticus 18:22
“And when a man lies down with a male the same as one lies down with a woman, both of them have done a detestable thing. They should be put to death without fail. Their own blood is upon them.” – Leviticus 20:13
Erroneous Pro-Gay Argument #1
The practises mentioned in Leviticus have to do with idolatry, not homosexuality. The Hebrew word translated “detestable thing,” according to Boswell, has less to do with something intrinsically evil and more to do with ritual uncleanness. The word is usually associated with idolatry.
The Canaanites had false religious rituals involving immoral sex – including homosexuality – therefore, homosexuality wasn’t the problem, but its association with idolatry. The only sort of homosexuality forbade by God was the type associated with Idolatry.
Response #1
The scriptures condemning homosexuality appear alongside many other sexual sins including incest, adultery, sex during menstruation, and bestiality. These things are condemned in both the Hebrew and Christian Greek scriptures completely apart from the Mosaic Law. Further, other scriptural references show God’s displeasure with these sexual sins whether or not any ceremony or idolatry is involved. – Genesis 39:7; Judges 19:25; 2 Samuel 11:4; Proverbs 6:32; 1 Corinthians 5:1
Response #2
Despite the claim that the Hebrew word translated “detestable thing” in the New World Translation – toevah – is usually associated with idolatry, it in fact appears in other places in connection with sins that have nothing at all to do with idolatry.
“There are six things that Jehovah does hate; yes, seven are things detestable [toevah] to his soul: lofty eyes, a false tongue, and hands that are shedding innocent blood, a heart fabricating hurtful schemes, feet that are in a hurry to run to badness, a false witness that launches forth lies, and anyone sending forth contentions among brothers.” – Proverbs 6:16-19
Response #3
If these practices were only condemned because of their association with idolatry, then logically the practices would be permissible if committed apart from idolatry.
So, you can happily commit incest, adultery, rape, bestiality, and even burn children alive (all of these things are listed alongside homosexuality in these chapters), without any condemnation from Jehovah God, as long as you’re careful not to involve any idolatry!
Can any serious Bible student accept that?
Erroneous Pro-Gay Argument #2
These scriptures are only talking about gay sex that is forced, i.e. rape or prostitution. Mutual consent among adults is not prohibited.
Response #4
This argument isn’t used very often because it’s easy to disprove. The literal translation of these scriptures has no connotations of rape or prostitution; it just says “lie down with a male the same as you lie down with a woman.”
Additionally, rape is covered separately elsewhere in the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 22:25 - 27). And if it were homosexual rape, why does the law say that “both of them have done a detestable thing”? Surely if it were talking of rape, only one of them has sinned? – Deuteronomy 22:25, 26
Finally, both male and female prostitution is also covered separately elsewhere in the Mosaic Law. – Deuteronomy 23:18
Conclusion
Jehovah provided strict moral codes for his people to follow. This included homosexuality, whether committed with idolatry or not. As Jehovah said, “YOU must prove yourselves holy to me, because I Jehovah am holy” – Leviticus 20:26
If you’re anything like me, after reading all of the above you’re probably not sure whether to laugh or cry over the pure absurdity of the “gay Christian” theology. Let’s move on to the next page to look at the Christian Greek Scriptures >
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